The Milwaukee Brewers have been crowned champions of the 2026 World Series and the 2026-27 offseason is now underway. More than 100 players became free agents the day after the World Series ended, and soon teams will have to decide on contract options and qualifying offers.
A quality offer (QO) entitles teams to receive draft compensation in the event they lose a free agent to another team. QO is a one-year deal set at an average of $125 million in salaries in baseball. This offseason, the price is a record $23.15 million, according to the New York Post. That’s up from $22.025 million last year, $21.05 million the year before, and $20.325 million the year before.
Teams have up to five days after the end of the World Series to give their free agents a QO, and players who receive it then have until 4 pm ET on November 17 to accept or reject it. Players who accept a QO remain with their team and cannot be traded without their consent until June 15. Players who reject a QO become free agents with an attached draft pick.
Simple, right? It’s a process, but not always a decision. With that in mind, let’s run down this offseason’s QO candidates, and explain the rules of draft compensation.
Is QO still applying this offseason?
Yes, QO is still a thing this offseason. The collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. on December 1, and the next CBA could change the QO rules, perhaps even eliminate them altogether. That said, until that happens, QO remains in place. Opinions to the QO (made by the team) and decisions to accept or reject the QO (made by the player) must be made before the CBA expires.
Compensation rules
In the past, teams that lost an eligible free agent received compensation after a first-round pick. it was nice and easy. Today’s rules are a bit more complicated. Here are the compensation rules for what teams lose as free agents;
He accepted income sharing | Less than $50 million | Select with competitive balance through B (before third through) |
He accepted income sharing | $50 million or more | They collect with the first round |
Pays a competitive tax balance | N/A | They collect with the fourth round |
All other teams | N/A | Select with competitive balance through B (before third through) |
The Athletics, Brewers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, and Twins have received revenue sharing this season, so the first two scenarios apply to them. The Blue Jays, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees will pay the competitive balance tax (CBT), so you’re in the third scenario. The Angels, Astros, Giants, Nationals, Rangers and White Sox did not receive any revenue sharing or unpaid CBT. There are quarters in the bucket.
Now here are the penalties for signing up as a free agent;
price of CBT | The second and fifth total | $1 million |
He accepted income sharing | The third-highest | no one |
All other teams | Second-highest | $500,000 |
The Blue Jays, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees will pay CBT and are in the first group. The Athletics, Brewers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers, and Twins have received revenue sharing and are in second place. The Angels, Astros, Giants, Nationals, Rangers, and White Sox are the third group. Did you get it? It is good.
Thirteen players received a QO last offseason: Trent Grisham, Shota Imanaga, Gleyber Torres, and Brandon Woodruff received a QO; Zac Gallen, Michael King, and Kyle Schwarber declined but signed new contracts to remain with their teams; Bo Bichette, Dylan Cessa, Edwin Díaz, Kyle Tucker, Ranger Suarez, and Framber Valdez rejected the QO and signed with new teams, returning their releases to their clubs as compensatory draft picks. Teams do not gain or lose a draft for re-signing their eligible free agent.
Not eligible to receive QO
Players are eligible for the QO as long as they have spent the entire 2026 season with one team and have not previously received a QO. That means several high-profile free agents are not eligible for the QO this offseason. Here are the signs;
CHANGED TEAMS
Louis Arraez
Kevin Gausman (also previously received QO)
Casey Mize
Freddy Peralta
Skubal cartoon
Dauton Varsho
Formerly QO
Bo Bichette (opt e)
Sonny Gray (mutual option)
Michael King (opt out)
Nick Martinez
The Tigers traded Skubal, a second AL Cy Young winner, to the Dodgers for a three-prospect package at the deadline. MLB Pipeline now lists players for Detroit’s No. 1 (Zyhir Hope), No. 3 (Ryan River), and No. 9 (Brady Smith) places hope. That’s a lot better than the draft compensation the Tigers would have received if they had kept Skubal all year and made him QO. However, these free agents are among those who are not QO eligible this offseason.
Locks to receive QO
This type of free agent isn’t the best and, as a result, I’m only leading two stone-cold guys to receive QO: Randy Arozarena (Mariners) and Seiya Suzuki (Cubs). Sailors and Cubs were stunned if Arozarena and Seiya got QO and returned next season on a one-year contract that wasn’t too exciting. Arozarena made $15.65 million this year. Suzuki earned $18 million. The jump to $23.15 million isn’t big enough to run away from QO, plus these are really good players. Arozarena and Suzuki will accept QO and decline.
Better to accept QO
Although Arozarena and Suzuki are the only hairs to receive QO, in my opinion, there are three other free agents who seem to be pretty good bets to receive. Here are those three players;
Ryan Jeffers, Fetus: Jeffers will be the best catcher to hit the open market since Willson Contreras four years ago. This year with the hook lost to injury and the defense not being great, he will turn over 30 next June. Those seem like nitpicks compared to the offense put on the table. The only reason I don’t think Jeffers is getting a haircut for QO is that the Twins cut nearly $50 million off his salary over four years. They could be frugal.
Brandon Lowe, Pirates: Pittsburgh knocked it out of the park with the Mike Burrows-Lowe-and-Mason Montgomery three-team trade with the Astros and Radios. Montgomery is the ace of the bullpen and Lowe has a sluggish 35 home runs, the most by a Pirate with Josh Bell’s 37 in 2019. Lowe’s age (32), poor contact rates, and poor defensive history (though not in 2026) could create a risk of collapse. Also, pirates run for every season in the bottom 10. Wait for Lowe’s QO. I just wouldn’t be surprised if the Pirates don’t decide to risk taking him, making 20% or so of their 2017 payroll.
Trevor Rogers, Orioles: Rogers, 29 in November, is a bright spot in another lost season for the O’s. He stayed healthy and threw 169 career innings, and he did exceptionally well after June 1: a 2.90 ERA with numbers under the hood to match (2.89 FIP and 3.10 ERA expected). Rogers might be the second best free agent backup starter given Skubal’s success over the past two years and (more importantly) an analytically friendly arsenal. During the era of president of baseball operations Mike Elias, the Orioles didn’t always do the sensible thing when it came to spending money. I think that it is 99% certain that Will O will give Rogers QO, but 99% is not 100%.
About the boss
My guess is teams will be conservative with their QO decisions this offseason because the new CBA is coming, and no one knows what the game’s financial landscape will look like next year. Will there be a salary cap? So much for the cbt penalty? I would expect teams to err on the side of caution when it comes to potentially committing to $23.15 million for one player. Even a good player wants to return, but not necessarily at the time of $23.15 million in 2027. Here are three cases on the QO limit:
David Bednar, Yankees: Bednar proved that he was closing out games in New York, which isn’t nothing, but he was turning only 32, and paying $23.15 million QO to baseball’s highest reliever. I think the Yankees want to bring Bednar back next season. Is QO enough to take on the risk? When is the potential prize draft obscure after the fourth round given their CBT status? I don’t have that either. A multi-year contract at a lower annual salary is a much more likely route for Bednar to return to the Yankees.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees: Even in his down year, Chisholm was a 3.5 WAR player due to the breadth of his skill set. He hit 19 home runs, stole 41 bases, and was fourth among second basemen with 13 walks above average. The all around game and the fact that Chisholm will play the entire 2027 season at the age of 29 seems to make him a slam running QO candidate. My feeling is that the Yankees will not commit any significant salary next season without first seeing what the new CBA will bring, which is exactly what they did before the last lockout. I think the Yankees value the salary flexibility (that is, the certainty that Chisholm doesn’t get QO) more than picking up post-fourth round benefits if they get signed elsewhere.
Adrian Morejon, Padres: Morejon will be an interesting test case for San Diego’s new owner. He is outstanding, one of the five or six best relievers in baseball, and will play the entire 2027 season at age 28. QO Morejon would make the top reliever in the game, but only if he takes it, and age and effectiveness seem unlikely to make that happen. Should the Padres roll over and give Morejon a QO, and risk sinking $23.15 million into the (big) man, or are they not bothered that they’re only on the line if he leaves the draft after being taken out of the fourth round? Díaz, Josh Hader (from the Padres), and Raisel Iglesias are the only relievers to get a QO in the last seven years. Is Morejon in that category?